Through Thick and Thin
by BossC
Summary: When a suspect turns out to be connected to one of the team, how will they react?  And will any careers be risked when they try to prove the wrong person is being accused?
1. Chapter 1

BTW: I had this idea BEFORE I saw "The Final Nail".

I loved Ryan's proposal to Jenny and wanted Ryan to have more of a main role in a story and Jenny to be more than a gorgeous woman coming into the station to talk to Ryan.

It's been a while since I wrote my opening episode for season 3 (Called "A Stitch in Time" a plug for those who haven't read it, please read it .net/s/6289492/1/A_Stitch_in_Time ). Thanks to everyone who read it and encouraged me to write more.

Through Thick and Thin

By BossC

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"Morning Castle, we've got a body." Beckett's voice rang over the phone. Castle groaned. "Do you have to be so cheery?"

"What's the matter, did you stay up to late?" The detective's tone changed to teasing.

"Yes mother." He smiled as he played along.

"Hurry up, Lanie is only a few minutes away and then we will be moving the body."

"Don't move it without me!" With a yelp he was out of bed.

Beckett smiled as she hung up her phone. _That would get him going._

She spoke to the first on site cops to pick their brains about this case.

"Not exactly a bad area during the day Detective," Officer Myers told her, "But at night, drug dealers take over the area. But we have been patrolling this area more, so I would have thought they would have moved on."

"Anything recent?"

The cops shook their heads. "Not that I can recall."

She made a note to pull the files of arrests in the area. _Maybe our vic saw something he shouldn't have._

"Coffee, Detective?"

Beckett recognized the voice without even turning around. The guy seemed to know what she needed before she asked. "Thanks."

"Consider it a thank you for keeping the body on scene, this is the best part of the case."

"How about when we get the bad guy and the victim's family can have the closure?" Beckett meant it as cop humor, dark with a bit of truth, but Castle recognized the irony: Beckett still didn't have the all closure she needed from her mother's murder. He tried to give an encouraging smile.

"Come on." She led him to the body.

"Male, Caucasian, early 30s." Castle stole Beckett's line

"32 according to his ID." Esposito smiled at the writer. "Steven Mitchum. No business cards, but nice suit."

"Must have given them all out."

"Or was at a nice dinner."

"Time of death is between 11 and 2 am. He's been here a while. A bullet appears to be cause of death." The great amount of dried blood didn't faze Lanie. She pointed a gloved hand at the torso, "Look at those powder burns on his coat."

"It was at close range." Beckett knelt down next to her

"But there are no defensive wounds." Esposito pointed out.

"So this means he knew the shooter."

"It started out as an innocent meeting…but then the shooter's nefarious intentions were revealed…unfortunately it was too let to fight for his life." Castle theorized in a dramatic tone.

The guys and Lanie glared at Castle as he gave his famous grin. He turned to look at Beckett's reaction. "Good theory?"

"Hmm?" Beckett's attention was focused elsewhere. "Lanie, look at this bruise on his face."

"Already done." The M.E. almost felt offended.

"What caused it?"

"It hasn't had time to really form so I can't say for sure—maybe when I get him back to the lab."

"So it happened before his death."

Lanie nodded. "But not too far before."

"So he is in a fight then shot?" Castle wondered.

"If it was fight, it was one sided, there are not any defensive wounds, from a gunshot or a fight."

"If the shooting happened during the beating there wouldn't have been any time for bruises to form."

"But the bruise on his cheek is obvious so must have been earlier."

"And I can give an answer if I can get him back to the lab." Lanie reminded.

Beckett stood up from her position kneeling next to the body. "Alright, you guys can take the body. Ryan, Esposito, there's a couple of apartment buildings, start canvassing the neighborhood, see if anyone recognizes the vic. Then move on to the businesses nearby. Lanie, if you find any receipts in his clothes, let Esposito know immediately."

The couple exchanged a look, but Beckett was moving away.

"What about us?" Castle fell into step with her.

"Castle, we're looking for the next of kin. Got to run a check in the database."

"Computer work? What happened to chasing down nefarious criminals and murderous masterminds?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Come on Castle."

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Author's Note: Please review. I know I didn't give a lot here but I'll eventually get to the good stuff. :-)


	2. Information

I just realized I broke the first rule of good writing: I didn't open my story with a hook to draw readers in. Oh, well, this tale is still developing, thanks for reading!

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Chapter 2 Information

Esposito and Ryan were still in the area of the crime scene, canvassing the surrounding buildings, talking to people who lived or frequented this part of town when a cell phone rang.

"Esposito."

"Hey, Beckett was right, there was a receipt in his pockets." Lanie informed the cop.

Esposito grabbed a pen from Ryan's pocket and jotted down the name Lanie told him.

"Is there an address on the print out? Thanks."

Ryan looked at him. "Address?"

"Apparently the vic had drinks just down the way." Esposito headed down the road.

A cell phone beeped. This time it was Ryan's. He flipped it open to read the text.

"Jenny. I told her I'd have to cancel lunch."

The guys found the bar in companionable silence.

"Closed." Ryan read the sign.

"I can read." Esposito retorted in a serious, yet teasing way. He dialed Beckett. "Hey, Lanie found a receipt on the vic, but the place isn't open for a few hours."

"Castle and I are on our way to talk to his brother, who apparently is his only relative. You guys can go back to the station and run the normal background work on him until the place opens."

"Will do."

Beckett closed her phone.

"Any leads?" Castle asked.

"A receipt. Not open yet." Beckett pulled up to a small house and shut the car off. She took a deep breath.

Castle hesitated. "You ok?"

"I much prefer talking to the family after I know something, not making the initial notification. It hurts too much."

"And that's what makes you so good." Castle tried to encourage her. Beckett didn't smile. "Lets go."

She knocked on the door. After a moment a man opened it.

"Carl Mitchum?"

The man nodded. "Who are you?"

"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. Can we come in?"

"Sure." Warily he opened the door and led them to the front room. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you talked to your brother recently." Beckett took the set he was offering. Castle sat next to her and remained silent. Carl settled into a recliner. "Not for a couple days why?"

"I'm afraid we have some bad news." Kate hated this part. "Your brother was found in an alley, murdered."

Carl blinked and looked at the cop and her partner. "Steven?"

"We think so. Is this him?" Beckett showed a headshot of the victim. Carl crumpled. "Oh God." Sobs burst forth

Kate looked away. She gave him a moment before addressing him again.

"I'm sorry but I have some other questions to ask."

He struggled to compose himself. Kate waited.

"What was your relationship with your brother like?"

"We weren't close." Carl has stopped crying but eyes were still red and wet. "But we were in touch maybe once a week."

"Did he talk about any problems?"

"No, but with Steven, there was always problems. Mostly women. He was a player. I don't even want to think about all the hearts he broke. I care about my brother but he could be a jerk." Carl sighed and leaned back.

"Do you have any idea who would want to hurt Steven?"

"No."

Kate watched his response. "Thank you for your time. If you can think of anything that could be helpful, please call." She handed him a business card as she stood. "I am very sorry for your loss."

Carl's chin quivered.

"We can let ourselves out." Kate told him softly. Carl didn't even look at them.

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Please Review! The next chapter is called "The Bombshell" and has much more developments!


	3. The Bombshell

Chapter 3: The Bombshell

Ryan's phone rang just as the two cops arrived back at the bar. Ryan glanced at the caller ID and silenced the ring.

"Ignoring Jenny already?" Cop teasing was tough but it was laced with caring.

"I've told her I might have to call her back when I'm on a case." Ryan held the door open for Esposito.

"Oh, we know who is going to be sleeping on the couch tonight!" Esposito breezed past him. "Looking for some employees who were working last night." Esposito asked the first one they saw.

"I worked the closing shift. And they double scheduled me to open today, jerks." The bartender didn't look happy about that.

Esposito pulled out a photo and showed it to the man. "Was he here last night?"

The bartender hesitated as he looked at the image, "Yeah, it was him. Had drinks at a back corner with a cute blond."

"Girlfriend." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Got a name?" Ryan asked.

"No name, he ordered a beer, she asked for coffee."

"Notice anything else?"

"He seemed very forward, but she was…aloft. Doesn't jive with the idea she was his girlfriend." Bartender shrugged, "I saw him drape his arm over her shoulders, but she pushed him off. I had other patrons but they must have had a fight, 'cause next thing I see is she is storming out of the place. He pays the tab and follows her."

"Which direction did he go?"

"She was trying to get a taxi, so I could still see them," The man pointed to the front glass doors. "Didn't seem happy that he followed her. The phone rang so I didn't see anything else."

"Thanks for your time."

The two guys walked away. "Didn't Beckett say the brother say or vic was a player?"

"Maybe one of the women got a little jealous."

They got back to the twelfth precinct and saw Castle and Beckett staring at the murder board.

"Yo, we talked to the bartender who remembers our vic." Esposito was ready with his arsenal of information. Beckett held up her hand. The guys looked where she pointed. A figure stood up from Ryan's desk.

"Jenny!" Ryan's eyes lit up.

"I know I'm interrupting, but I need to talk to Kevin." She seemed fidgety.

Ryan glanced at Beckett and Castle. Castle shrugged. "Sure, let's go here." He pointed her into the direction of the conference room. Most the time it held families of the victims or people who came to answer questions in a less formal environment than the interview room but at the moment it was empty.

"What's wrong?" Ryan knew this wasn't his fiancé's normal attitude. He closed the door behind them. The glass still left them open to observations, but no one could overhear.

"The news just reported the death of Steven Mitchum."

"You knew him?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes." Jenny paced away. Ryan looked back at his team. The three were talking together with an occasional glance his way.

"Jenny…"

"I don't know what to say." She threw up her hands with jerky movements.

"Calm down, it's ok." Ryan grabbed her hands. They were ice.

"Kevin, you are the best thing that has happened to me, I mean it, you are the best thing in my life."

"What's wrong?" His stomach began to flutter.

She took a deep breath. "I met Steven for drinks last night."

Ryan felt a stab of jealously as images ran through his mind.

"He was an old friend in town for business and he wanted to say hi."

"Is that it?" His heart said to leave it alone, his instincts as a cop said there was more.

Jenny winced. "Kevin, I love you. I would never cheat on you."

Ryan tensed.

"He was an old boyfriend but I made it clear I am happy with you. I made sure he knew we were engaged and that was it."

"You shouldn't be telling me this."

"Kevin, I'm here talking to my fiancé, not a cop." Tears were streaming down her face.

Ryan pulled her into a hug. "And I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

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Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I love comments! Hint, hint!


	4. Repercussions

Chapter 4: Repercussions

Esposito moved to Beckett's desk. "What's going on?"

"No idea." Castle answered before Beckett.

"She came in and asked where Ryan was. Then said that she'd wait. And then she paced around the office. She had just set down when you guys came in." Beckett shrugged. "What did you find out?"

"The bartender remembers that he had drinks with a cute blond. They came in together but she stormed out alone. Apparently upset. And Steven followed her out."

"Blond?" Castle's head snapped around to the room Jenny and Ryan had disappeared too.

Beckett rolled her eyes, "Castle, hundreds of people in the city are blond."

"But all blonds aren't here at the precinct crying their hearts out to their fiancé." Castle nodded toward the couple.

The two cops turned to witness Ryan and Jenny in a tight embrace. Even from a distance it did look like Jenny was crying but Beckett wasn't about to admit that to Castle.

"For all we know, her mother just died, or she's braking off the engagement because she couldn't find a dress. Let's wait before we jump to conclusions." Beckett reminded.

Even Esposito glared at her for the dress comment. "I know we give him a hard time about Jenny, but they're not about to break up because of a dress."

"It's a girl thing." Beckett retorted sitting at her desk. "All we really know is that he had drinks with a blond. And we need to see if he is currently dating a blond or had a recent blond girlfriend and then there will be none of these theories." But even with those words, she glanced back to the conference room. Ryan and Jenny were emerging hand in hand.

The three jumped back to what they had been doing; unsuccessfully pretending they weren't looking at the couple.

Jenny wiped her eyes, mascara and eye shadow leaving streaks down her face. She looked at the remnants of the make-up on her hand she and she leaned into Ryan, whispering something into his ear. He nodded and she stepped away.

"Ryan?" Beckett looked at her junior officer.

"She has info on the vic. She met him last night." Ryan stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Probably the blond the bartender remembers."

"She could have been the last person to see him alive." Esposito said what they all were thinking.

"She didn't do it." Ryan didn't hesitate.

Jenny emerged from the bathroom. Beckett grabbed her black book with the case notes before stepping through the guys.

"We need to talk." She told Jenny.

"I know."

"This interview will be on the record now or you can wait until we can prove it was you who had drinks with Steven."

Ryan gritted his teeth at Beckett's tone.

"I did have drinks with him," Jenny started to respond.

"Let's go in here." Beckett cut her off and pointed Jenny into a room off to the side.

Jenny glanced at Ryan. He nodded encouragingly. She followed Beckett into the interrogation room. Beckett turned at the door and her eyes met Ryan's. He was tense. Beckett's face didn't give away any of her thoughts. Without a word, she closed the door effectively cutting off their vision into the interrogation room.

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**Author's Note:** I love reading your thoughts, please post comments or critiques!


	5. Truth

**Author's Note**: Sorry for taking so long since my last update. I forgotten I hadn't posted it! Reviews do give me encouragement to finish writing. As for the comments about Beckett being harsh in the last chapter, yeah she is, sorry about that, I was trying to find some way to lengthen the chapter. This one is longer.

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Chapter 5: Truth

Ryan sprinted for the observation room.

Esposito and Castle were right behind him.

"Bro, are you sure you want to watch this?"

"She didn't do it."

Castle could see the tension in Ryan's jaw.

Inside the interrogation room, Beckett's mind ran through everything they knew so far and she realized it wasn't enough.

"What's your relationship with Steven Mitchum?"

Jenny stared at the table and hugged herself.

"Jenny, I don't want to do this anymore than you do."

She took a deep breath. "He was a friend from college. Yesterday he called to say he was in town and could we meet for drinks."

"Did you meet him?"

"Yes. I thought it would be two friends catching up but he came with other ideas." Her voice broke; she still wouldn't meet Beckett's eyes.

"Did you date in college?" Beckett hated asking the question. They both knew Ryan was listening to the answer.

Jenny nodded.

"What did he want to talk about?"

"He wanted to get together. I told him I was engaged, but he didn't care. He still persisted—just like the Steven I knew in school."

"How persistent did he get?" Beckett's words were quiet.

Jenny glanced at the mirror. Ryan tensed. Esposito noticed his quick intake of breath.

"I think you might need some coffee." Esposito prodded.

"I'm fine." Ryan shrugged off Esposito's hand.

"Jenny might need a cup when she comes out."

"I'll get her one when I take her home." Ryan ignored Castle's attempt to get him to leave.

The observation room door opened. Captain Montgomery poked his head in. "What's going on? Do we have a suspect?"

"No." Ryan was too fast. Montgomery raised his eyebrows.

"The vic had drinks with a blond who turns out to be Ryan's fiancé." Castle filled him in. Ryan glared at him. Esposito didn't look any nicer.

"Steven was saying all kinds of things." Jenny hedged.

"Did he assault you?"

"He was open about his intentions but I told him I wasn't interested. He kept pushing so I left."

"Did he follow you?" Beckett remembered Esposito's words. Fear flared into Jenny's eyes before she looked at her hands.

"We talked to the bartender. He remembers you and Steven…maybe he'll remember you taking a walk together." Beckett tried to stay a cop, not a friend.

"No we didn't!" Jenny met her eyes. "I left the bar, hailed a cab and went home."

"What time was that?" Beckett asked, pen poised to write the answer.

"Around ten."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"No. Kevin was working."

"You didn't see Steven after leaving at the bar?" Beckett started seeing a hole in her story. Jenny flushed.

"I waited at the curb for a taxi and didn't know he followed me until he grabbed my arm." Jenny hesitated. "He tried to kiss me. I was surprised and I slapped him. He staggered back and a taxi stopped."

"You got in the taxi and didn't look back?" Beckett's skepticism echoed in her voice.

"No…I mean yes." She took a deep breath, "I didn't want to talk to him anymore. I just wanted to leave."

The interrogation room door burst open and Ryan stepped in, "Let's go Jenny."

"Ryan," Beckett rose from the chair. "I just want to know what happened."

"Jenny?" Ryan ignored Beckett and extended his arm to his fiancé.

"One last question and I'm done." Beckett turned to Jenny. She hesitated and Beckett plunged forward.

"Do you own a gun?"

"No." Jenny stood up. "Are we done?"

Beckett glanced at Ryan. "Yeah."

Ryan wrapped a protective arm around her and they headed for the elevator. The three from observation walked in.

"Well?" Montgomery asked. "As much as I'd hate to see Ryan's fiancé arrested for this, I don't believe her."

Beckett shrugged, not revealing her opinion. "Esposito, find that taxi and confirm the time. Make sure she went home. Then see if the driver remembers anything. Remember that Lanie puts T.O.D. between 11 and 2. For the sake of argument, if Jenny left the bar about ten, and the driver confirms that she really did go home, why did she come back to kill him? Maybe he called her again."

"I'll go check out that taxi driver." Esposito headed out.

"I'll get a warrant for Jenny's phone records." Beckett felt queasy that her attitude was so businesslike. She hadn't ever pulled the records of someone she knew. But she really didn't know Jenny, she reasoned. _Ryan is the one that knows her. And he's not doing it._

"You do realize Ryan's off the case." Montgomery

"Yes sir."

"He doesn't get ANY info we do." Montgomery knew they would have to tread carefully.

Beckett nodded. "Understood."

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**A/N** Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated!


	6. Talking

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've had some writers block. Hopefully it won't last long. :)

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Chapter 6: Talking

The two were silent as Ryan drove Jenny back to her place.

"I'm sorry for taking you away from work." Jenny finally spoke.

"I'd rather be here with you." Ryan reached for her hand.

"I didn't do anything wrong, but I still feel ashamed."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm engaged and I went to see an old boyfriend. If you intentionally met an old girlfriend for drinks or dinner, I'd tear into you!" Jenny looked at him. "Actually, I already did that over Natalie Rhodes."

"I can't spend the rest of my life avoiding women anymore than you can avoid all the men in New York City. I do trust you, Jenny." He pulled into the underground garage and parked the car.

"I can't help but feel that I could have done something differently." Jenny stepped out of the car. Ryan wrapped his arm around her but didn't say anything as they headed for the elevator. Jenny reached for her keys as they reached her floor. Ryan noticed her shaking hands and took them from her.

"Let me." Ryan unlocked the deadbolt and let Jenny in first. He closed the door behind them and out of habit snapped the lock. "Want some tea?"

"You haven't asked me."

"What?" Ryan turned to look at her. Jenny shrugged.

"If I were a suspect you would have already grilled me and asked if I killed him. As it is you walked off work to prevent me from talking to Beckett but you never asked me yourself."

The dread was back in his stomach. Ryan looked away.

"I trust you Jenny."

"Not to murder someone or to love you?" She countered. "I need you to ask me so you can believe that I am innocent."

"I do believe you are innocent." Ryan responded.

She set down her purse and walked toward him. "You haven't asked me."

Ryan bit his lip. If she didn't convince him, he might be forced to arrest the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Jenny waited. Ryan took a breath.

"Did you kill Steven Mitchum?"

"No."

Ryan met Jenny's eyes.

"I didn't kill him."

Ryan didn't sense any fear or lies. Only truth. _She didn't do it. _He pulled her into a hug.

* * *

Esposito strode into the bullpen. "Cabbie had records of everything, pick up, and drop off. She was left at her place at 10:43."

"So she's not our killer." Castle was relieved.

"If she went back, she would have used a different cabbie." Esposito admitted. "It doesn't take a genius to know that."

"Is that the voice of experience talking?" Castle teased.

"If it were anyone else, we would take a closer look into that alibi trying to break it—as of right now, she's the last one to have seen him alive." Beckett relented. "I'm still waiting for the phone records: business number had a bit of a roadblock but legal worked around it. Esposito take Castle and go talk to Steven's co-workers. His brother said he was a player, we need to find out his current girl."

"Or girls." Castle stressed the "s" at the end." Beckett nodded.

"See if there is any business reason to want him dead."

"Sure." Esposito grabbed his coat. "Castle?"

The writer was right behind him. "Lead on, my man."

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A/N: I love reviews, so please leave your comments.


	7. Interviews

Esposito and Castle headed into the office.

"We are here to meet with Mr. Justin Kane." Esposito showed his badge to the lady at the front desk.

"This way." The woman stood up.

"What does Steven do here?" Castle eyed all the people.

"Steven is…I mean was one of our claims instigators." The secretary explained.

"Any trouble recently?"

"Personally or professionally?" She asked.

"Either." Castle jumped in.

"He's a claims investigator, anyone he has refused a claim for isn't happy with him."

"Any names come to mind?" Esposito asked.

She shrugged. "No." She opened the door. "Mr. Kane? The detectives are here."

"I'm Detective Esposito, this is Richard Castle."

"Justin Kane, VP here." He shook their hands. "Thank you Sharon."

She headed back to her desk.

"How well did you know Steven Mitchum?" Esposito pulled out his notebook.

"I didn't have much personal interaction…" the man went on but Castle stepped away from Esposito and followed the secretary out of the room.

"Did Steven have a girlfriend?"

She chuckled. "A whole string of them."

"Any names."

"He went through them so fast, I doubt HE could remember names."

"Were you one?"

"He's cute, but after working with the guy, that idea was gone." She grimaced.

"Not a good guy?"

"A jerk."

"But you never dated him?"

She hesitated. "I never said I didn't go out on a date with him…"

"But you said…" Castle interrupted before she interrupted him.

"I said I wasn't a girlfriend. Doesn't mean I wasn't a one night stand."

"Oh."

She shrugged. "As I said, he is a jerk…I mean WAS a jerk."

"You wanted more."

"Doesn't matter what I wanted. He was using me to make current girl jealous."

"Does she have a name?"

"Natalie Carnes. But that was about 6 months ago. Probably been several ladies after her."

"Thanks." Castle made a mental note of the name before returning to the office.

"…they really got into it about a week ago, had to call security."

"What did Mr. Mitchum say about it?" Esposito asked.

"Steven thought he was harmless."

"Didn't consider it a threat?"

"We are an insurance company, we don't handle things worth killing over! The man could have asked for a second opinion."

"He didn't?" Esposito asked.

"No. I read the file and looked at the photos to be prepared, but he didn't come back or call."

Esposito finished jotting down his notes. "Thanks for your time."

"What did I miss?" Castle hissed at him.

"Just a new lead."

"I got the name of a girlfriend—one that isn't Ryan's fiancé." Castle added.

"My lead was arguing with Mitchum last week and it got violent."

"Sounds good…details now!" Castle grinned.

Esposito chuckled as they got into the car. "Mitchum disputed a claim from a guy a couple weeks back and the guy was really upset about it. Called several times but when that didn't get a favorable response, he came to the office. They had to call security."

"Sounds good to me."

"And the girlfriend?"

"Steven was definitely a ladies man. Natalie Carnes was the girlfriend six months ago so maybe we can track down others through her."

"I just hope we don't come back to Jenny." Esposito sighed. "It would kill Ryan."


	8. New Suspect

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait. I am rewarding that wait with a LONG chapter. Enjoy!

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New Suspects:

"What do you have?" Beckett pulled the observation room door closed behind her.

"Paul Edwards. Big confrontation with the vic the week before he died."

"Motive?" Beckett asked.

"Mitchum refused his claim for hail damage to the roof."

Beckett looked up. "That's it?"

"People have been killed over weirder stuff."

"But killing the insurance guy is not going to get the claim reversed." She reminded.

"Revenge—you ruin my remodeling plans…" Castle started a story.

"…I kill you?" Beckett was skeptical, "That's a stretch even for you Castle—and that's saying a lot."

"Would you rather it be Jenny?" Esposito snapped.

Beckett said nothing. She headed into the investigation room.

"Mr. Edwards, I'm Detective Beckett."

"Why am I here? The officer said I had to come here but no other information."

"How do you know Steven Mitchum?"

"He was the insurance investigator attached to my policy."

"He was killed last night."

Paul stared at Beckett. "And you think I had something to do with it?"

"You did have an altercation with him."

"Yeah last week!"

Beckett pulled out Esposito's notes and read a line, " "I am going to kill you Mitchum," does not sound like you were in a forgiving mood. An attitude like that simmers until something snaps."

"I didn't kill him! I was just upset."

"Over your roof." Beckett felt it was weak even as she said it but she kept a straight face.

"My roof?" He looked confused.

"That's what you were fighting over."

"We were fighting over the fact that he recommended a shady construction company."

"What?"

"He refused my claim but he recommended a friend who could fix it for a good price. They came, gave me an estimate and it looked good so I said go ahead. But they needed an advance to get the shingles and supplies. I gave it and they disappeared."

"What did Steven say about it?"

"Said they would fix it and not to 'jump to conclusions'." Paul snorted.

"Sounds like they were in it together."

"That's what I told him! Before security escorted me out."

"Where were you last night around midnight?"

"At home in bed."

"Anyone that can corroborate that?"

"My wife."

Esposito and Castle were still observing, "His wife, that is the best he can do!" Castle wanted to laugh. Esposito stormed out of the room.

"Hey, Esposito!" Castle followed. "You ok?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, for starters, you stormed out of the observation room and we are investigating your partner's fiancé for murder."

"I agree with Ryan, she didn't do it."

"But are you sure?"

Esposito glared at him.

"Hear me out." Castle started spinning a story for him, "Jenny is planning a wedding and all the details are enough for anyone to get frustrated. Maybe she just needed a day without thinking of reality so she goes to see a friend. But Steven is a former boyfriend so he gets the wrong idea about why she wants to meet him. Her night off turned into a trip down memory lane with Steven wanting to rekindle the flame."

"So what, she killed him because he was flirting with her?" Beckett walked up and rolled her eyes.

"Castle, everyone is not a murderer." Esposito reminded.

"But what if he threatened to tell Ryan that SHE was the one who initiated the meeting..."

"We have the phone records, he called her." Beckett took a seat at her desk.

"But at that moment maybe Jenny didn't know we could prove he was wrong." Castle and Esposito approached Beckett's desk. "Maybe she was afraid he would ruin the life she was building for herself with Ryan…"

"Castle..." Beckett straightened up.

"What if he tried to move in on Jenny and she killed him out of self-defense?"

"She'd call me if that happened?" Ryan's voice caught the guys by surprise. Beckett grimaced as Castle whirled around. "What are you doing here?"

"The captain called. I'm pretty sure I know why, but I'm here anyway."

"I'm sorry."

Ryan accepted the words but reminded them, "I believe her and no amount of evidence will convince me otherwise. I can't be objective."

"Castle wasn't objective and we let him stay on the case of his friend." Esposito had his partner's back.

"Castle isn't a cop." Beckett drew the line and turned to Ryan. "It would end your career if you stayed on the case. A good defense attorney would rip into Jenny as the last person who saw him alive…"

"Obviously she wasn't the last person—the killer was." Ryan injected.

"And you would be accused of a frame up to get your fiancé off." Beckett continued. "That could be reasonable doubt to a jury. Then the real killer would get off and there would always be a question mark around Jenny's involvement."

"I know. But doesn't mean I like it." Ryan retorted. "I need to go talk to the captain."

Beckett waited until he was out of earshot before turning to Esposito, "Lets look into Paul's alibi and the construction story."

"You got it." He moved to his desk to make a call.

"Something bothering you?" Castle asked.

"I don't like either story. The wife story is flimsy enough but why would an insurance investigator be involved in a scam like this—Steven would be easy to find—which Paul did—and scam artists are masters at disappearing."

"Maybe he didn't know and confronted his friend about it."

"And it just happened to be on the day Jenny met him for drinks?" Beckett was skeptical. "That is a big coincidence—I don't buy it."

"So what now?" Castle asked.

"More detective stuff," Beckett teases.

He grimaced making her grin. "Honestly, it's late, I need to go over my case notes and see if anything pops."

"You want help?"

"Na. Go ahead and go home. I don't want Alexis calling to accuse me of kidnapping."

"Wouldn't that be 'dad-napping'?"

"Only if you don't act like a kid at crime scenes." Beckett suppressed a grin.

"Detective." Castle whined but stood. "See you tomorrow."

"See you." Beckett started typing up her notes to interviews and then remembered Jenny's interview. She grabbed the phone on her desk. "Hey Janet, You're working late."

"You're one to talk, Detective."

Beckett let it pass, "Do you have the transcript for Jenny O'Malley's interview."

"Yeah it's done."

"Can you e-mail it? I'm working on the case notes."

Janet was prompt in her email and Beckett printed out the pages to study. She didn't want Jenny to be involved but something about the interview seemed off.

_Besides Ryan busting in and interrupting._ She sighed.

Beckett read over the pages looking at Jenny's words and remembering her actions. Her notebook from the interview had very few insights. Beckett read a sentence and realized that she found the problem and the pages dropped to her desk. "Oh Jenny. Please let there be a reasonable explanation for this."


	9. Deception

Chapter 9: Deception

* * *

Castle fiddled with his keys at the door. He saw Alexis at the kitchen counter and Castle headed her way.

"Hey Alexis, how was your day?"

"I ran into Owen."

Castle hesitated. "Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure." Her expression was quizzical. "He asked me out for coffee. I told him I was seeing someone, but if that was ok, I was willing to meet and catch up. He said it was fine. Do boys find that ok? Meeting with an old girlfriend who is dating someone else?"

Castle shrugged. "It depends on the boy. Have you mentioned it to Ashley?

She shook her head.

"You might want to, that way you don't feel like you have to hide your meeting from him. If he freaks out when you tell him you ran into an old boyfriend, tell Owen you can't come."

"Am I really taking relationship advice from my dad? Alexis shook her head.

"I have made every mistake in the book, I might be able to keep you from a couple of them." Castle kissed her forehead. The situation with Jenny came to his mind. This was essentially what she had done. And now she was under suspicion for murder.

* * *

"Esposito, it's Beckett." She identified herself as soon as he answered the phone.

"Hey."

"I wasn't sure what you had planned this evening but I need a favor."

"Shoot." Esposito adjusted the phone against his ear.

"It's going to be difficult." The female detective's tone caused him to straighten.

"Go ahead."

"I need to get Ryan away from Jenny so I can talk to her."

"Where are you?"

"Outside Jenny's apartment."

Esposito cursed under his breath. "Any ideas on how to get him to leave?"

"I'm not a guy so I don't know what you guys do, but what about meeting for a drink to calm him down."

"I could offer info on the case that might make him come."

Beckett hesitated. "Just not too much and no names."

"How long to do you need?"

"Not long…30 minutes?"

"Done." Esposito ended their call and dialed his partner.

Beckett felt guilty for pulling Esposito into it, but there was no way Ryan would leave Jenny alone tonight without a little push.

It seemed to take forever but finally Beckett saw Ryan come out of the building and head to his car. She gave him a minute to leave before getting out of her car and heading into the building.

"It's Detective Beckett, Jenny; you got a minute?"

Jenny's eyes were red and she observed Kate warily. "Do I have a choice?"

"Ryan seems to want you to get a lawyer and not let you talk at all. But that would make us pry more into your life and relationship with Steven."

"Come in."

Beckett didn't want to do this, but it had to be done. "You told me in your interview that Steven said he was in town on business."

"Yeah."

"But he lives here."

Panic ran across Jenny's face and Beckett felt her heart fall. _Ryan is going to kill me for this._

"That is what he told me on the phone." Jenny told the detective.

"And you believed him?"

Jenny slumped back into the couch. "He was always a charmer and I didn't want to meet him. I guess he thought telling me he was only in town for a little while would make me agree to see him."

"Apparently it worked."

"In college, he was suave, persuasive and popular; everything I wasn't. But he cheated on me when we were dating."

"Yet you still met him when he called." Beckett stated.

"I guess I wondered if he had changed. One of those, "what if" moments."

"Had he contacted you before?"

She hesitated.

"Jenny, I want to believe you had nothing to do with this. But I need to know about your relationship with Steven and what kind of person he was."

"He called a lot at first after I broke up but after graduation I changed my numbers. This was the first time in several years."

"Any idea why he called you now?"

Jenny sighed. "I guess I knew he wanted to rekindle what we had but I am over him. I thought I could tell that to his face and maybe he'd leave me alone."

"I can't get over the fact that after all this time he just calls you out of the blue!" Beckett voiced her thoughts.

"Don't you ever wonder what happened to your friends from college? I guess I was curious too. To see if his charm and looks were still there."

"So that night. What happened? And Ryan's not here and I'm not telling. What did he talk about, why did he call you?"

"I told him that I was engaged to a cop, showed him the ring…he said something like 'we could still have fun.' That's why I went first, I wanted to let him know I wasn't available!"

"But he didn't care." Kate filled in the blanks. Jenny nodded.

"Did he mention what he was doing now? Job? Friends?"

"He did mention work but I don't remember details. He said it was boring and he wanted to spice up his life."

"Did he say how?"

"I figured it was with me." Jenny grimaced. "That's when I left and the stuff outside happened."

"Do you remember if he mentioned a girlfriend?"

"I think he just broke up. Mentioned her in past tense. Probably wanted to see me because of he didn't like being alone."

"From what we heard, he was pretty popular with the ladies." Beckett smiled, "So as far as you know, besides the girlfriend problem everything was ok?"

"I hadn't seen him in what, 5 years? Maybe more like 7 or 8. I have no idea what is normal."

"So he didn't talk about anything else?"

"He was flirting and coming on to me—other than that I didn't notice." Jenny closed her eyes. "I thought it would be good to see him after all these years but he was still the same arrogant guy I dumped in college. I just wanted to get away from him."


	10. Girls, Girls and More Girls

A/N Sorry for taking so long! I had forgotten about this! Can't wait for Ryan and Jenny's wedding on the show

* * *

Chapter 10: Girls, Girls and More Girls:

"So what turned up overnight?" Castle strode into the bullpen the next day with coffee. Beckett and Esposito looked tired. "You guys don't look good."

"That's what happens to a person when they had to work late."

"You should have called, I would have kept you company."

Beckett glared at him, "We would look ten times worse if we had to put up with your 'help'."

"Just for that…" Castle turned to Esposito. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Thanks bro." He took the drink Castle offered. The guys shared a look then smiled at Beckett.

She pretended to not see them, "We need to find his girlfriend, ex or not."

"Detective Karpowski and I hit the vic's apartment and found what appears to be his little black book." Esposito held up the item.

"Any luck with a date book or schedule?"

Esposito held a second book up for her inspection. "Yes."

Beckett leaned forward. "How about matching up names and dates?"

"Working on it, if you'd like to help…" Esposito offered her the books.

Beckett grabbed them. "Castle, take the date book, look for names. We can match with names from the address book."

The two spent the next few hours huddled together on her desk as they tried to get a picture of the victim's movements and hopefully his dates.

"There are plenty of girls in his date book and address books."

"And at least two girls named Jenny and Samantha." Castle added. "At least that way he has to remember fewer names."

Beckett ignored his comment, "We got to get them separated and see how the vic knew them and if they have a motive to kill him."

"So you want us to go up to them and ask, "Hi Samantha, would you have a reason to kill Steven Mitchum?" Esposito butted into their conversation.

Beckett rubbed her forehead. "Let's cross reference these names with gun permits. See if we can get probable cause for a warrant that way."

"I called those numbers you gave me and some of them are coming in to answer questions."

Beckett raised her eyebrows.

"They weren't exactly thrilled about it, but they're coming."

"How many?"

"Four will be here in less than an hour, two more have longer distances to come."

"This is going to keep us busy forever!

Beckett's desk phone rang, "Beckett." She listened. "Thanks, send her up."

"Natalie Carnes is here."

"Who?" Esposito asked.

"The girlfriend that the secretary mentioned." Castle replied.

* * *

"Miss Carnes, I'm Detective Beckett this is Rick Castle. We are investigating the death of Steven Mitchum."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"You were a name we were given as someone who knew Steven."

"I dated Steven 6 months ago, what could I know about him?"

"Who he was, involved in schemes, etc

"He dumped me and I haven't seen or heard from him since."

"Did he drop you for someone in particular?" Castle asked.

She shrugged, "Probably the youngest, hottest thing. No, I don't know a name."

"What about friends?"

"I met people from his work but none really stood out as a great friend."

They left the interview room and saw Esposito with two other women. He came over to Beckett and Castle. "More girlfriends: Jenny Demille, and Jana Strong are already here. Melissa Grovner is on her way up as we speak."

"Call Detective Karpowski and see if she can help us with the interviews." Beckett told Esposito. "I am REALLY missing Ryan right about now."

Castle didn't respond. They had plenty more girls to interview.

"Steven and I dated for a couple of months." A redheaded Jenny informed them.

* * *

Jana said they only hooked up once, "Over three months ago."

* * *

"We flirted a lot but it wasn't going anywhere." Melissa admitted.

* * *

"I hate to have to ask you this but where were you Monday night between 11 and 2."

"With my date." Jana returned.

"I need a name."

"I don't kiss and tell." She retorted.

"All I have to do is check with him about your alibi and then I am out of your life. If I can't get a name, I will dig deeper into your life and I will be around for a LONG time."

Jana glared at them.

* * *

"I watched TV until 11 then went to bed." Melissa told them.

"What channel?" Castle asked.

"Why does it matter?"

"I was wondering if you saw that new cop show on one of those local stations; I wanted to see it but fell asleep too soon." Castle ignored Beckett's expression. The girl glanced at them both, "It was the 10 o'clock news."

* * *

"I'm sorry he was killed, but I'm not upset about it—he was a two timing jerk." The woman lived up to the temper that red heads were notorious for.

* * *

"So what do you think?"

"Lot of bad blood but don't seem to be hiding anything." Detective Karpowski spoke first.

"None of them seem to really like him, so they all have motive but there are too many to accuse of murder. It would take us forever to dig through ALL their lives." Esposito added.

"We got a couple more last names from our interviews." Beckett handed Esposito a paper. "This appears to be the most current girlfriend. This one had the date the day before the murder according to his day planner."

"Elise Burch." Karpowski read over his shoulder.

"Bring her in, lets see what she says. Then we'll check on the other girl's alibis."


	11. Narrowing Down the List

Wow! It's been a LONG time since I posted on this story. Sorry everyone; I hit a little bit of writer's block and then forgot about it!

I liked the real show episodes much better than mine. But since I started this story, it would be nice to finish it.

* * *

Chapter 11:

"Elise Burch, I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is Rick Castle." Beckett strode into the room. "Do you know why you are here?"

"The officer said it had something to do with Steven Mitchum."

"Are you aware he died earlier this week?"

She shrugged. "I watch the news, read the paper, yeah I know."

"We are trying to discover his movements leading up to his death and your name was in his day planner."

"It was?" Elise looked at each of her questioners. "We dated for a while, so I guess so."

"So you didn't see him the day before his death?"

"Yes, I saw him."

"We heard he was depressed over a break up and we wondered if that was you."

"It wasn't an exclusive relationship."

Beckett noticed that her response didn't answer the question. "What do you mean it wasn't exclusive?"

"Exactly what it sounds like: I dated others and he did too."

"Do you know who?"

She laughed. "It might not be exclusive but that doesn't mean I want to know all his girls! The same way he doesn't know who I saw."

"I need to ask you where you were the night he was killed."

She snorted. "You really have to ask that?"

"Yes."

"I was with Carl Michum."

Castle's mouth dropped open, "You are sleeping with Steven's brother!"

"Did Steven know?" Beckett asked.

Elise shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Then why did he break up with you?"

"We were still together." She told them. Beckett hesitated.

"Then why did he talk about you in the past tense?"

That made Elise pause. "We had a spat, but I didn't think it was anything major. I would have met him next time he called."

* * *

"Ok, so the most recent girlfriend was a bust." Castle slouched into the chair.

"Maybe not, all we have is her word that Steven was seeing others and where on earth are these other if he had to call Jenny to get a date the next day?"

"So she's lying!" His eyes lit up.

"Maybe, maybe not. Don't look so happy Castle." Beckett turned the pages in her notebook.

"Yo, are we going to dig deeper? Esposito and Karpowski joined them.

"I'm not sure. Karpowski keep digging into the girl's history—focus on this current girlfriend—maybe we'll hit pay dirt."

She nodded and headed to her desk.

"Hey and run Elise through the system for gun permits and priors." Beckett added to the other detective before turning to her team, "Esposito, I was going over my notes last night and when we were at the scene the beat cops said it was drug hangout, maybe we need to visit that scenario."

"But that doesn't explain how the killer got so close to him to shoot him without defensive wounds."

"Just because there aren't any obvious marks doesn't mean he didn't try. People get surprised and science isn't perfect."

"Didn't Jenny say he had been drinking?" Castle asked.

"Yeah,"

"So maybe he didn't see it coming." Castle reasoned.

"But why kill him? Did he see something he shouldn't have? And what about this client's accusation, the construction swindle…" Beckett groaned.

"Wait a minute," Castle jumped up. "His brother, Carl, what does he do?"

Beckett looked confused.

"When we did the notification, there was a truck in his driveway with a lot of wood in it—is he in construction?"

Beckett's eyes widened. She turned to her computer.


End file.
